Transcript- Episode 139: Driving Diversity & Equity in the Sports Tech Industry with Albert Basilio, CEO & Founder at Launchball Episode 139

00:00:00 - Albert Basilio

I would like to see the company as a place where we can hire the best Latino and Latina talent from the greater Los Angeles area. People that can bring their talents, earn a high wage from their work, and know that if they love sports and technology as much as we do, that it can be a place for them to contribute to the creation of an unforgettable experience for those that would like to be a part of what we build.

 

00:00:29 - Christina Barsi

The workforce landscape is rapidly changing and educators and their institutions need to keep up. Preparing students before they enter the workforce to make our communities and businesses stronger is at the core of getting an education. But we need to understand how to change and adjust so that we can begin to project where things are headed before we even get there. So how do we begin to predict the future?

 

00:00:54 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo

Hi, I'm Salvatrice Cummo, Vice President of Economic and Workforce Development at Pasadena City College and host of this podcast.

 

00:01:02 - Christina Barsi

And I'm Christina Barsi, producer and co host of this podcast.

 

00:01:06 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo

And we are starting the conversation about the future of work. We'll explore topics like how education can partner with industry, how to be more equitable, and how to attain one of our highest goals, more internships and PCC. Students in the workforce. We at Pasadena City College want to lead the charge in closing the gap between what our students are learning and what the demands of the workforce will be once they enter. This is a conversation that impacts all of us. You, the employers, the policymakers, the educational institutions, and the community as a whole.

 

00:01:40 - Christina Barsi

We believe change happens when we work together, and it all starts with having a conversation. Hi, I'm Christina Barsi.

 

00:01:48 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo

And I'm Salvatrice Cummo. And this is the Future of Work. Hi, welcome back to the Future of Work podcast. I am your host, Dr. Salvatrice Cummo. Our guest today is Albert Basilio, founder of Launchball, a company that merges sports and technology in innovative ways. Albert has been navigating the unique challenges of creating a Latino-led startup in the sports team tech space, an area where diverse representation is still growing. Today, we'll discuss Albert's experience founding Launchball, the challenges he's faced as a Latino founder in sports and tech, and how Launchball is contributing to the future of work in both of these industries. Albert, thank you so much for joining us today.

 

00:02:35 - Albert Basilio

No, thank you so much for inviting me today. I appreciate it.

 

00:02:39 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo

You bet, you bet. I'm really super excited to kind of dive deep into what is Launchball and how you've created Launchball and what problem are you solving as an innovator and entrepreneur in this space. But before we begin, we had an opportunity to meet at the Future of Work conference most recently and tell me a little bit about how. What led you there? What led you to the conference?

 

00:03:00 - Albert Basilio

Yeah, so I found out about the conference because I was looking for podcast episodes featuring either Mr. Stephen Chung from the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, Ms. Renata Siemril from the LA84 foundation, or Ms. Julie Ehrman from Angel City Football Club. So I had seen in the show notes that there was going to be a conference soon in the episode featuring Mr. Chung. It was going to be focused on sports and entertainment and how that landscape is looking right now, especially with the Olympic Games and the World cup that are going to be hosted here in the Los Angeles area pretty soon. So it was then when I knew that I couldn't miss it, I couldn't miss that conference. So luckily I was able to secure some tickets just before they ran out.

 

00:03:51 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo

We were happy that you attended and thank you for spreading the word as well. You were really great ambassador the day of. Super. Super. Appreciate it. I'm really curious and I'm sure our listener is as well is a little bit about your background, Albert, and really kind of what led you into this space of sports and technology and also what led you to build Launchball.

 

00:04:16 - Albert Basilio

Yeah, of course. So, I am Mexican American, and currently, I'm 29 years old. So I was born in Los Angeles, and I've lived through in various cities in and around Los Angeles county. But currently, I'm living in the city of Palmdale, up about an hour north of Los Angeles. So we've been living here for a little bit over 20 years, and pretty much, I've always been interested in how things are invented, how they're built, how they're made, ever since I was a kid. So, you know, growing up, I would be either building Lego sets or, you know, trying to fix things, quote, unquote, around the house. And then also from a young age, I would go with my dad and again, quote, unquote, help with whatever I could in our small swimming pool cleaning business.

 

00:05:11 - Albert Basilio

So it was just doing a variety of things that interested me from a young age. Not only that, but I would grow up reading books, you know, about outer space and technology and a whole other wide range of topics. But even though I was doing all that growing up, I felt as a first generation American that some things were possibly not going to be on the cards.

 

00:05:39 - Albert Basilio

I guess the main one being am I going to be able to go to College as I get older, because I knew it was going to be expensive and I didn't know if it was going to be within those realms of possibility just because we really didn't know how to prepare for something like that. So instead of going to college after graduating from high school, I was able to work at a medical tech company as an assembler since someone my family knew was kind enough to offer a referral to get in there. So I would spend a couple of days there, and eventually, those days turned into a couple of years, but a couple of impactful events happened. And it was pretty much after these events happened that I was like, okay, you know what? I know what it's like to work now right after high school, so I'm going to see if I can go back to school.

 

00:06:34 - Albert Basilio

And so that's when I enrolled at my local community college, Antelope Valley College and Lancaster. And that's where I began that journey of taking the first courses necessary to be able to transfer as an engineering major. And so I spent a couple years there at Antelope Valley College, and then eventually I was able to get the credits necessary to transfer to the University of California at Riverside.

 

00:07:02 - Albert Basilio

And that's where I was majoring in electrical engineering. But I don't know if it was due to just having to work, you know, during the day or during that time off when I didn't have class at community college. And then it just eventually caught up to me because after a few months I kind of felt burnt out and I withdrew from UCR a couple of months in into after my transfer. Pretty much I didn't know what I was going to do after that. I felt a little bit down, but. But I would always be scrolling through social media, especially TikTok.

 

00:07:36 - Albert Basilio

And I had seen other entrepreneurs around my age starting to build their businesses centered around either a new sport that they were inventing, creating, or just giving existing sports a different spin. So in those moments I would think to myself, well, why can't I do that? Why can't I do the same thing that they're doing? I mean, it seems fun, Seems.

 

00:08:00 - Albert Basilio

Seems like a fun industry, so why not invent a new sport as well? Thought I was going to end up working in the aerospace industry, but I guess that didn't end up happening. But it was then when I would be like, okay, if I'm going to take this serious, I want to see how much I can learn if this is what I'm going to do from here on in. So I would start watching videos Listening to podcasts, asking other founders the process of going about this, of starting a sports startup.

 

00:08:33 - Albert Basilio

And so I had gotten enough information that I thought would be good to take action on. And so that's when I started looking for manufacturers after I had already made a design that I thought would be good enough to send to these manufacturers. And so I was able to find one overseas and I sent them the design. We went back and forth over several months and when I thought that everything had looked good enough and ready, I had them ship it over to my house. And after that, well, seeing that now I had the prototype, I was like, okay, so I have this now. But I see that other companies are taking advantage of the technology that we have at our disposal and kind of using those two things together, right? Sports and also technology. So even though I wasn't a computer science major, I was like, okay, this is one more thing that I have to learn in order to be able to really create something that might not be seen at the moment.

 

00:09:44 - Albert Basilio

Then that's what I have to do. So that's when I just started learning how to code in Apple's programming language called Swift and started making also the prototype for the application that I hope will be the main application that those who are going to want to participate in this new sport, it will be that sort of gateway for them to join a local game in their respective cities and just find out for themselves what the sport is going to be like and how their experience is going to be once they participate in it.

 

00:10:27 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo

I mean, let's spend some time there, Albert. I mean, some of our listeners may not know what Launchball is. I know what it is and you obviously know what it is, but if you can give us, you know, your elevator pitch of what Launchball is, that would be really great.

 

00:10:42 - Albert Basilio

So as for the sport itself, it's a team sport similar to soccer, otherwise known as football in other countries, and American football, basketball, those sort of sports. So pretty much you have 10 players against 10 players playing at the same time. And it's going to be played on a grass field similar to a soccer field, the dimensions of a soccer field. But in this sport there's no goalkeepers like you would see in, for example, soccer. And the players will have to pass and throw a small ball that kind of fits into the palm of their hands. And then for the equipment that I designed, it's basically a square shaped goal with a net attached. And then that goal itself is attached to an about 4 foot tall pole. And pretty much there's Going to be an area drawn in front of the goal itself, just to indicate that there's some sort of area in which the players cannot enter. So the whole point of why it's called Launchball is because you're going to have to throw it really hard or launch it into the goal from a certain distance in order to score.

 

00:11:53 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo

Got it. The arena of sports and technology has its own challenges, and you've navigated those challenges, and we'll spend some time on that in just a minute. But before we talk about those barriers and some of those challenges, there are many entrepreneurs. In fact, we're seeing the highest surge in entrepreneurship now than ever before in history. What would you say is the most important factor or most important thing to do when you're looking to build your own and to innovate and transition from what we call the normal workforce? Right. Working for someone else versus building your own. What's the one most important factor you think?

 

00:12:37 - Albert Basilio

In my opinion, I think the most important factor it would have to be having that prototype made, because then you can see that it's not an idea anymore. So now you can interact with it for whatever the purpose it was made for. So, for example, in this case, designing and seeing the sports equipment that I had drawn out on the computer and now having an actual first prototype. So you can now start to slowly evolve that idea into a physical product. In this case, start using it for what your product or service is eventually going to be. So if there's one thing, it's that it's building the prototype. And it doesn't matter if it's a physical product or if it's a mobile application. If you can get that first iteration of many finished for the moment, then that is really going to motivate you. And see, okay, I got this first version down and now this is where the work is going to commence after that.

 

00:13:46 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo

Along the theme of motivation, Albert, you know, you mentioned earlier that you were kind of teeter tottering with college and then discovered that your heart was leading you to innovate and to solve something. You were solving community. In my humble opinion, when I think about Launchball, I think about how it brings together the community. How did you stay motivated? Because entrepreneurship is very difficult. There's lots of trans trials and tribulations. Right. There's lots of successes and there's also just as many tears that go along with it. But how do you stay motivated in taking that leap? And those who are listening, what would you say would be their motivation factor?

 

00:14:25 - Albert Basilio

I would say that having that support around you, especially when you're trying to build something new and bring it into the world, having that support is really critical, especially at the beginning. There's going to be more difficult times than there are ones where you're going to celebrate and be happy of the progress that you've made. So whether it's your family or friends or other entrepreneurs in your community as well, I think that's key to not losing that motivation and really just using that to continue. Because sometimes you might hear on a podcast, oh, yeah, it was really hard, right? But you don't know how hard until you've lived it. But then again, they would also mention, but I got through it because of my family, because of my friends, because of professors at my community college or at my university or other entrepreneurs. And it didn't matter whether they were here in person, in front of me, or whether they were offering guidance and their support online. So that is really key to not losing that motivation, just having that support, for sure.

 

00:15:36 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo

And I would imagine that as a Latino founder in a very niche industry, you've had some unique challenges. Being unique to you doesn't mean they're not unique to others, but specifically for you, there are some unique challenges that you had to face. How did you overcome them? Like, let's talk through that. Let's talk through some of those challenges and then how you chose to overcome them. And perhaps you might be experiencing them now, and you're trying to overcome them.

 

00:16:01 - Albert Basilio

Yeah. So in this case, being a Latino founder, I already know what the statistics are. I think other professionals in various industries are aware just how difficult it might be to start building a startup. So I would say the main thing is lack to access of capital for these type of ventures. So. So it is a significant barrier, but it's not impossible, regardless. So it might take a little bit more work, but it's not impossible. I would listen to other audiobooks and podcast episodes where they would talk about how other founders would be able to, for example, raise their first round of financing for their startups, either through family or friends, for example. I don't know if this is the case with every member of the Latino community, but we sometimes just don't have access to friends or family that have maybe a little bit of extra capital to where they would be willing to invest in startups such as these founded by other members of their community. So not only that, but just the fact about knowing what startups are not really being exposed to starting ventures such as these. So it's really necessary. Because if you don't have this in mind, if you don't see it as a goal in your life, you're not really going to go out and start building connections that could maybe one day help significantly when you do decide to start something like this. That's pretty much it. In my case, what I'm trying to do right now, seeing what ways I can go out and connect with industry leaders, seek help, seek advice, and hopefully after building disconnections and having the education that my professors were already able to give me during my time in college, hopefully those two things will lead eventually to some form of, who knows, maybe finding investors that are aligned with the mission and goals of the startup and wanting to invest in this.

 

00:18:20 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo

Thank you. I do want to maybe shift gears just a little bit still along the theme of connection. You know, Launchball connects the community through sports. And there are many different industries and entrepreneurs creating their own ventures that may struggle with connecting with their audience. What are some things that you've learned in your building of Launchball that creates that sense of community that connects with your audience? What are some lessons learned that you've had that you think that other industries and entrepreneurs can learn from?

 

00:18:57 - Albert Basilio

Yeah, so I think sports lend themselves, in this case to building community a bit more easy just because it's a physical activity that you have to go out and do. So usually that attracts a crowd of people to go and support them or as a way of entertainment. But for other industries or entrepreneurs, I think that they can create those real lasting connections as well with their audience by setting up that environment that facilitates forming those connections. So it'll vary according to industry. But for example, I was able to connect with two Latino founders a little while back. They're USC alumni, so their names are Anthony Ramirez and Elmer Vasquez. And right now they're building an artificial intelligence calendar in the EdTech space and it's called the First Gen X. And the goal is to aid first generation college students transition into their college workload. So there's a lot of first generation college students at universities across the country and their AI calendar can serve as that older sibling, if you will, that can guide students throughout their studies at university. So in this way, not only are the founders, in this case creating a more profound connection between their product and their users, but this also allows the opportunity to potentially connect first generation students amongst themselves since they're going in similar.

 

00:20:33 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo

Journeys and it seems as though, you know, partnerships for you, particularly with Launchball, it appears to me that partnerships with community College or any other educational institutions might be a great fit and some good synergies between Launchball and, let's just say, you know, Pasadena City College or, or any other educational institution. How do you see collaborations such as those really help not just Launchball, but perhaps maybe other startups as well that are looking to grow and scale.

 

00:21:08 - Albert Basilio

As a person that attended a community college, I can personally say that I have a great admiration for the academic institutions that we have so, such as Antelope Valley College, Pasadena City College. Because usually for the majority of us trying to gain more skills in this ever changing workforce and landscape, it is usually the starting point to build those skills that we're going to need throughout our careers. So by collaborating with community colleges and universities in the greater Los Angeles area, I believe that we can make significant progress together. For example, say we start talking about bringing our sport to community colleges and universities for students there attending to try and eventually be that next great generation of athletes and coaches participating in our new sport. But not only that, the more we collaborate with academic institutions, the more quickly it it could lead to opportunities for training and creating the next generation of sports professionals here in the greater Los Angeles area as well. I was just at a soccer fundraising event this past weekend and it really takes a village to be able to create these type of events that have a long lasting impression on those participating. So it creates really memorable experiences. But it is a lot of work as well. So in our case, we're going to need photographers, videographers, fan experience managers, engineers, designers, marketers and many more professionals. So I know that we can find that exceptional talent not only in Pasadena City College, but in Antelope Valley College, universities such as UCLA and USC that are all here in the greater Los Angeles area, I know we can.

 

00:23:05 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo

Thank you. And how would you say, having said that, the connections between partners and educational institutions, what would you say or how are you envisioning Launchball kind of shaping the future of work both in the arena of sports and tech? How are you seeing this evolve for you?

 

00:23:27 - Albert Basilio

Despite being the largest minority group here in the United States, as Latinos and Latinas, we still have a long way to go before we see a significant number of ourselves working and founding companies in industries such as sports and entertainment. So therefore, I would like to see the company as a place where we can hire the best Latino and Latina talent from the greater Los Angeles area. People that can bring their talents, earn a high wage from their work, and know that if they love sports and technology as much as we do that, it can be a place for them to contribute to the creation of an unforgettable experience for those that would like to be a part of what we build.

 

00:24:12 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo

You know, you mentioned the word opportunities and you know, Launchball is in the middle of this intersection between sports and tech that we've been talking about today. And thinking about those two sectors. Where do you see the growth, where do you see the growth in these two sectors and where's the synergy between the growth of these two sectors and Launchball? What do you think are some of the opportunities that we should probably be taking a look at and keeping an eye on?

 

00:24:37 - Albert Basilio

Yes. So as we're living through it right now, there's been a really great opportunity is how I would see it, with new technologies that are emerging, especially artificial intelligence. So as the years go by and I think more and more technology is going to be used and leveraged to see how new experiences and new tools we can build in order to create a better experience for athletes and for coaches, for fans, for family of the athletes and coaches overall, just make it more enjoyable and more easy as well to participate. Because right now, even though we're in 2024, there's still some areas that can be improved. And so growth is the chance that we have to improve in those areas that are still open for, that are still open for growth. So I think that's where the opportunity lies in these industries.

 

00:25:41 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo

Excellent, thank you. And, and again, kind of like along the same thread of opportunities. If there is one key advice that you would ask our listener to simmer on from this conversation, what would that one key advice be?

 

00:25:57 - Albert Basilio

If I had one key piece of advice, it would be that right now is a great time to start a sports startup, if that's something that you've always wanted to build, built in an industry such as this. So right now the United States and in particular Los Angeles is getting ready for these once in a lifetime events such as hosting the World cup and the Olympic Games within a very short period of time. So it's to do that, to not only just build startups in this industry, but also building something that can unite us all as humans, regardless of whatever country we're coming from. And that also creating memories that will last a lifetime through our products, through our services. So it's a long journey, there's no doubt in that. But building something from zero takes a lot of effort, but with the collaboration and support from academic institutions, local government and other organizations, I know it's possible. So it would be to go out, see who is interested in helping you build and being able to achieve that, a greater good for as many people as possible.

 

00:27:17 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo

Thank you so much, Albert. This has been a wonderful, wonderful conversation and I wish you the best and continue to scale Launchball. And I look forward to touching base, you know, a year from now to see where you're at with your venture. It feels really good to know that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well. The intersection of sports and tech, as you said, as you just mentioned, is not going anywhere. If anything, it's going to be heightened and continue to grow and make those audience connections and make those connections more memorable, as we learned, right, as we learned from the conference not too long ago. Albert, those who are interested in learning more about you and learning more about Launchball, how can they connect with you?

 

00:27:58 - Albert Basilio

So if you'd like to send me a message or connect, you can do so with LinkedIn, Instagram or TikTok. I'm usually on those three platforms throughout the day, so those are the best places to find me. And if not through email as well. It's abasilioaunchballsport.com and yeah, those are usually the best places to contact me.

 

00:28:22 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo

Excellent. Thank you so much, Albert. It's been a pleasure and I look forward to connecting with you again.

 

00:28:26 - Albert Basilio

No, thank you so much, Dr. Cummo. Thank you.

 

00:28:29 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo

Thank you. You're very welcome. Thank you for listening to the Future of Work podcast. Make sure you subscribe on your favorite listening platform so you can easily get new episodes every Tuesday. You can reach out to us by clicking on the website link below in the show Notes to collaborate, partner or just chat about all things Future of Work. We'd love to connect with you. All of us here at the Future of Work and Pasadena City College wish you safety and wellness.